Seeing Sydney's postcard sights (Apr. 27/09 - Sydney, Australia)

Elizabeth Street runs straight north from our hostel to central Sydney Harbour, with park land on the east side for most of the way. Hyde Park is a block-wide green space that includes the Anzac War Memorial and a couple big fountains. The north end merges into a string of old government buildings that now house a hospital, a courthouse, and the mint. Next in line was the state library, which advertised an exhibit on Charles Darwin's work in Australia, so we went in to check it out. They had some pretty impressive displays, including some of Darwin's original journals and his first sketches of platypuses, wallabies, and endemic orchids. From there, we crossed into the Sydney Botanic Garden, which is a huge series of gardens that occupies a bunch of prime real estate right in downtown Sydney. Cockatoos, ibises, and big bats flew around in the trees as we wandered over to the waterfront. Much like the Stanley Park seawall at home, a paved walkway winds around just above the water, busy with walkers, bikers, and runners. We rounded MacQuarie Point and were faced with a perfect view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, just like you see on postcards.



After a picnic lunch in the gardens, we followed the seawall along and walked around the base of the Opera House, checking out the impressive architecture and gorgeous views back to the city and out to the harbour. The transit hub of Circular Quay was busy with commuters and filled with the oddly intriguing sounds of Aboriginal didgeridoo music mixed with techno beats. We wandered into the area called The Rocks, where there were views back to the Opera House and up to the bridge above, as well as glimpses into a waterfront building bustling with skinny women wearing tons of makeup that were working the catwalk for Australian Fashion Week. We checked out the giant nuts and steelwork of the bridge abutments and then meandered our way back to Circular Quay.

We had made plans to meet up with a long lost friend of mine from my UBC days, so we had some drinks at a bar overlooking the harbour in the sunshine before driving across the city to her neighbourhood at the one and only Bondi Beach. With only a little daylight left, we walked along the trail that connects the beaches, giving gorgeous views back down to the fluffy sands of Bondi and guys surfing the swells even as it was almost getting dark. (No wonder people get attacked by sharks here - dusk is prime feeding time for them!) The trail continues for a couple miles, but we wouldn't see much in the dark, so we turned around and went out for some fabulous Thai food instead. A quick bus ride later and we were back on familiar ground near the hostel, ready to call it a day after putting so many miles on our shoes today.